


Simplicity

by narukamiyu



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Agender Character, Agender Shirogane Naoto, Gen, Post-Canon, mentions of persona 5
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:40:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23816296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/narukamiyu/pseuds/narukamiyu
Summary: Even after years had passed, Kanji found that seeing Naoto brightened his day.
Relationships: Tatsumi Kanji & Shirogane Naoto
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	Simplicity

**Author's Note:**

> for my friend anna!! thank you, and I hope you enjoy <3

Inaba was quiet these days, four years after the murders that had struck fear into its citizens’ hearts. If he didn’t know better, Kanji would have said that the town was stopped in time. But having lived here for all his life, he could differentiate the changes that had been occurring from day to day. The people here had become more open, somehow  _ better _ since the fog had lifted, since Souji had arrived and left. Junes had been expanding little by little and yet found a balance with the local stores. Not many people came and went, but it was still more than it had been a decade ago; family members moved in, young couples moved out. 

Despite all that, his friends were the greatest change in his life. Compared to how he’d kept everyone at arm’s length before, he now had a group of friends that he trusted with his life. Although Souji, Yosuke, Rise, and Naoto had moved back to the city, all eight of them still kept in touch and organized regular visits. Distance was no problem when they’d caught a killer and fought a god, right?

It had been a while since anyone had been able to visit, but Naoto was arriving today. He would be lying to himself if he said that he wasn’t excited; Naoto was one of his closest friends, someone that he could talk to about anything. They were grounded in a way that so many other people weren’t, and Kanji appreciated that. 

Kanji wasn’t able to wait at the station for them since the shop was busy in the afternoon, but they had already made plans for Naoto to come over so that the two of them could have dinner together. He was several minutes into making the stir fry when there was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” he called, looking up from the vegetables and the pork. He’d have to add in the rice soon, but that could wait until he greeted his friend. He lowered the heat and gestured for Naoto to come closer.

They were wearing their hat and deep blue coat, which made sense considering the brutal chill in the air. Winter in Inaba was no joke. Their face was red and probably cold to the touch, though they smiled at him as the two of them embraced quickly. “Kanji, it has been a while. You’ve been well, I hope?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He let go and looked at them more closely. “I missed ya.”

Naoto nodded. “It’s good to see you. I see that you’re making stir fry? I hope I wasn’t interrupting.”

Kanji shook his head and turned back to scoop the rice into the frying pan. He added the sauce, hoping that he wasn’t overdoing it. “Nah, it’s almost done. You can have a seat if you want.”

Disregarding the offer, Naoto stood in the kitchen with a watchful eye. “You said that your mother is out visiting family for the week, correct?”

“Yeah. She says hi, though.” The smell wafting from the pan made his stomach growl, but he patiently waited for the rice to fry enough before plating enough for Naoto and himself. 

Naoto took one of the plates from him, and the two of them sat down at the table. “This looks good, Kanji. Thank you for the meal.” The smile that they made as they tasted it made the small effort of cooking completely worth it. When he took a bite of his own, he had to admit that it did turn out pretty well, especially the onions. 

“Work goin’ okay?” he asked after swallowing. He knew that Naoto had been busy with case after case, especially due to the psychotic breakdowns or whatnot that were occurring in the city.

Naoto grimaced, though it wasn’t directed at him. “It has been a bit difficult, but I believe I have found some patterns in the cases. It’s too soon to tell, however, so I have been keeping theories to myself.”

Kanji gave them a serious look. “If you need someone to lend an ear, you got me. I won’t tell anybody.”

“I know you won’t. Very well, I’ll speak my mind freely.”

Somehow, even as they talked about work, the atmosphere didn’t change. The air was relaxed, and they were just two old friends discussing things to be dealt with another day. Naoto believed that the psychotic breakdowns were similar to status ailments that the Investigation Team had experienced in the TV World, but to a greater extent. Kanji saw no reason to disagree, and he  _ felt _ Naoto’s confidence in the theory grow as they spoke.

“That mean there could be monsters or other Persona users out there, yeah? Bad ones.”

A solemn nod. “Hopefully we can track them down quickly and apprehend them. But that’s enough of that. Thank you for listening to me ramble on, Kanji. It was a great help.” 

“I didn’t do nothing,” he scoffed. That didn’t stop him from feeling just a little bit pleased. “You’re welcome here anytime you need a break, you know?”

They finished their dinner at a steady pace, chatting about nothing in particular. The town, the city, and their daily lives. There was a peace between them that Kanji had been seeking for a long time, something that he could never have imagined back when he was a teenager.

“What were your plans for the rest of the evening?” Naoto asked, and Kanji glanced back at them from where he was putting away the dishes.

“Didn’t think much about it. Maybe a movie? You had that romantic comedy that you wanted to show me, right?”

Naoto pulled down the brim of their hat, their face flushing in embarrassment. “Ah, yes. It must sound silly, a detective wanting to watch such a thing.”

Kanji shrugged and dried his hands. “Everyone has hobbies, Naoto. Nothin’ silly about that.”

The movie did turn out to be interesting for both of them, to Naoto’s immense relief. They got invested fairly quickly, their shoulders touching as they stared at the dramatic confessions and tearful rejections. 

All in all, it was a good night. As time passed and their eyes drooped from exhaustion, all Kanji could think was that he was glad to have Naoto here with him.

**Author's Note:**

> my twitter is @CAEJ0SE if you wanna chat!


End file.
